Hunt Them Down(35)
One day, after a successful assignment in Mexico, he woke up tied to a bed, naked. It was evident the bartender had slipped a narcotic into his drink. He recognized the woman standing next to him the moment he opened his eyes. The Black Tosca wasn’t only the most stunning woman he had ever had the pleasure to share a room with, but she was also known as the most lethal bitch in the drug world. And here she was, staring at him, a black whip in her hand.
“What are you gonna do with that?” he asked in Spanish.
“I don’t know yet. It depends,” she replied in Spanish-inflected English he found irresistible.
“On what?”
“Do you know who I am?”
“Miss Universe?”
The whip came down hard on his right nipple. It hurt. Kind of.
“Do you know who I am?” she repeated.
“The Black Tosca.”
She nodded and removed her pants. Her legs were gorgeous in shimmering thigh-high stockings.
“Would you like to work for me?”
“What if I say—”
That time the whip came down much harder on his nipple. It drew blood.
“Would you like to work for me?”
“I’d love to.”
The Black Tosca smiled. “I’m glad you said that, because the next reprimand was a bullet in your pretty face, and that would have been a real shame. I kind of like you,” she said, sitting on top of him.
The next morning, an understanding had been reached. She was going to pay him handsomely to operate in the United States. Once in a while, there would be an odd job for him in Mexico or in Europe. He would work for and report to only her.
His life changed six months later when she summoned him to a beautiful bachelor pad in Mexico City. After they had sex, she gave him a photo of Katherine McMaster.
“I want you to seduce this lovely girl.”
“What for?”
“Because I fucking asked you to, and I pay you so much money that you’ll do whatever I want.”
He couldn’t argue with her logic. Plus, the girl was pretty.
“What’s her name?”
“Katherine McMaster. Her father is Daniel McMaster, the special agent in charge of the DEA’s Weston field office.”
“I see.”
“This will be a long-term operation.”
“Can you describe ‘long term’?”
“Until I tell you to stop.”
The phone chirped in Egan’s hand. He had fallen asleep for a minute.
“Yes.”
“Were you told I’d be calling?”
Hector.
“I was.”
“We need you to take care of someone for us.”
Of course you do, Hector, Egan thought. “Please send all pertinent information—”
“It’s already in your draft folder.”
That was quick.
To communicate electronically without leaving a trace, Egan and the Black Tosca would write messages and leave them in the draft folder. So instead of sending the messages, they would read each other’s drafts and delete them the moment they were done with them.
Egan logged in to the account and clicked to open the draft email. Seeing a name from the past shocked him to the core.
Pierce Hunt.
How in hell did Hunt get involved with the Black Tosca? Then he remembered Hunt had joined the DEA right after he left the army. After Gaza, they hadn’t kept in touch much. A few phone calls while he was working with the French PMC to let Hunt know he was back on his feet, but nothing once he started working solo. He doubted Hunt would approve of his career choice.
“So?” Hector asked after a minute had passed. “Any issues?”
“I know the man,” Egan said.
“What? How?” Hector seemed to be genuinely intrigued.
“We served together.”
“I see,” Hector replied, disappointment evident in his voice. “Will it be a problem?”
Hector was worried. And he should be, Egan thought. Hunt wasn’t someone you wanted to tangle with.
Even though they hadn’t talked in a few years, Hunt was the one person he trusted with his life. They were still brothers, forever linked by the blood they’d shed together fighting in the desert. What if he refused the contract? Would the Black Tosca turn on him? She would be foolish to. Because of him, she had remote access to Daniel McMaster’s two laptops, mobile phone, and desktop. He was her entry into the DEA’s database. Five months ago, he would have taken his chances and turned down the assignment. But that was before Katherine had gotten pregnant.
“This man is a trained operator,” Egan said. “He’s not an easy mark.”
“This is why my cousin doubled your fee,” Hector reminded him.
“How did he come up on your radar?”
It took a few seconds for Hector to reply. “By mistake, really. We kidnapped his daughter when—”
“You kidnapped his daughter?” How stupid were they? “Are you out of your fucking mind? Pierce is a warrior. When confronted, he attacks.”
“I said it was a mistake. I didn’t—”
“You think he gives a shit if it was a mistake or not?” Egan was doing his absolute best not to yell into the phone. Hector seemed to have no idea of the gravity of the situation.